Friday, November 25, 2005

The elixir of youth...

They say that it is not a good idea to write about work related things on ones blog...may lead to blog author being sacked from job...but what can one do if one witnesses all sorts of things during the course of ones work and absolutely needs to write about it and get it out of ones system??? I mean no harm..really!!

Yes, well, I know Im rambling, just didnt want to begin every new post with the word "I"..so pompous don't you think??

Now that thats out of the way..I went to a Botox workshop today. Botox, in case you didnt know, is this protein thingy that one gets injected into ones face to get rid of unsightly lines and wrinkles, for example crows feet, frown lines on ones forehead, laugh lines around ones mouth etc. Botox is also used to treat migraines, sweaty palms and even paralysis. It absolutely safe and it does make ones face look smooth and unlined. A client of ours provides this service and I was at this workshop to see how it happens so that I would have the know how when I speak to the media.

So I went to witness this workshiop. I was the youngest, and most unwrinkled person in that room. I was also the only person in that room who had absolutely no intentions of ever trying Botox, I don't care if I'm covered from head to toe in wrinkles, I still won't!

They inject Botox into your face. With syringes!! Near your eyes!!! I understand that there are certain medical situations where injections are necessary (although, I would ideally like to avoid such situations unless I was in actual danger of dying..you know..injection or death type situation),, but why people would voluntarily want to get things injected into their faces is beyond me!! Its not even a one time affair. You need to get it done every 6-8 months to remain unlined!!

I stared horrorstruck at the poor woman lying on the table, wincing with every move the doctor made and I almost squealed in pain when she actually injected the stuff, my hair stood up on end and my eyes popped out of my head(not exaggerating..I swear!). But even through my terror, I noticed that the older women in that room were positvely excited. They stood up, leaned forward to catch a better view, nodded approvingly and asked sooooo many questions. Each one of them was there because they were actually contemplating Botox shots!! And these weren't your Pooja Bedi type Pg3 socialites, these weren't film stars, these weren't stinking rich corporate wives. These were regular ordinary middle class/uppermiddle class housewives and working women. they looked like Mrs. So and So next door, one lady had a striking resemblance to my college professor.

Incredible isnt it? The attempt to keep age at bay is no longer restricted to "high society" and film stars. Apparantly the demand for Botox and other age control solutions has shot up in the last couple of years. These solutions are not exactly cheap..each Botox session can leave your wallet lighter by Rs. 6000 and more. And you would need a session every 6-8 months for the rest of your life; as you grow older you would need more and more Botox and therefore costs would increase too. You are also allowing foreign substances to be injected into your face....near your eyes, into your forhead, around your mouth. None of these seem to deter people these days.

And before you start commenting about the ridiculous lenghts women go to to look good, let me tell you that about 30% of customers who visit this particluar client of mine are men...they go for all sorts of things ranging from acne treatment to Botox ( most men apparantly want to get rid of their crows feet..which is quite sad I think, because I always find men who get these wrinkles around their eyes are very very hot....totally sexy...), and even laser hair removal...for their chests, and even their faces..shaving is apparantly a pain for the modern man (just goes to show how silly men can be...what's a man without a sexy stubble? not a beard mind you,and defintely not a moustache...but a stubble that he can gently rub over your neck and back and....umm...well..nevermind...).

Im totally impressed with the average persons dedication towards looking young (no wonder age control creams are doing so well). Im totally impressed by the adventurous mindset of India's middle aged population when it comes to beauty. I have to admit that even though I was the youngest in that room, I was also the most conservative. I found the idea of allowing people to inject things into my face absolutely terrifying. I am not very open to the idea of laser hair removal, Im not comfortable with injecting proteins or my skin being subjected to all sorts of technogical machine related processes for the sake of looking good, I like the idea of the good old fashioned facials and face packs involving stuff that is external and easily washed off. But then again, as the snooty old lady with too much make up pointed out, maybe Im exactly that..too young and therefore not in need of any of this stuff. Maybe 20 years from now I will be in that room on that chair waiting for my Botox shots.

Maybe...maybe not. Who can tell the future? All I know is that as of now, Im determined to let Nature take its course and age as gracefully as I can!! Considering the alternative is injections...with syringes...on my face...near my eyes.....I have a gut feeling I will stick to this resolution!

18 Comments:

There's this whole convoluted theory about how human beings fear death and age and wrinkles being associated with death they try to keep eternally young in order to cheat death...irrelevant ramblingWhat I wanted to say was...*ahem*, injections anywhere bad, near my eyes aaargh!!

@seema: true, we are not obsessed with our looks the way some people are...but seema you should have been there...it was quite an experience. one lady wanted to go for nonsurgical face lifts coupled with botox...each session would cost easily 10,000 bucks, and she was like any other person on the road...nothing glamourous and all.

@babelfish: helloo and welcome. i totally understand the aaargh...i almost ran out of that workshop. and thank you for linking to me..i plan to update my blogroll sooon, when im less lazy *ahem* busy..i meant busy..im soooo busy ;-)

We actually dont realise how big 1 billion is. thats 10000 lakh people. Phew... But if for exactly one minute I 1/10000 lakh of the population get notice by 10/10000 lakh of the population, my day is complete. We humans by nature crave for appretition and compliments. In fact one estranged actress commented recently that she like a particular actor because he kept complimenting her. After all everyone loves the attention. So if you can bear pain for a moment and your purse lightened for a moment, why not achieve bliss for a moment and that moment be only yours. After all everthing is momentary its just bound together by time.

@rahul: sweety i do wish you would stop trying to prove the superiority of your math skills...i never questioned that ever. the first part of your comment is absolutely indecipherable..i do not get the relevance. as for the second part..yeah i guess thats what motivates these mad women...and i guess its a question of prioroties...i for one would much rather live with being called an ugly old hag for ther rest of my life rather than risk those injections and worse.

I am constantly amazed at the amount of motivation people have and the amount of effort they put into looking good. Gym, parlour, kaya skin clinic, weekly facials etc etc. Some of them are my friends! And here I am, constantly whining about weight and doing zilch about it. I don't join a gym knowing that I'll be wasting good money because I'll never be motivated enough to go and will always find something else to do. Seriously, how do they stay so motivated?

@marauders map: tell me about it! i guess people like us belong to a fast vanishing minority who dont spend too much tiem energy and money on the way we look..as long as i dont look like something out of a horrow movie (a C grade hindi one is what i mean) i guess im quite happpy, but most other people are not. have you seem some aunties shopping for begun and alu at jonshon market? they look like they dressed to go a fashion show.

@ marauders map again: thought i would provide the link to that post on PR inspired by the great jabberwock. didnt want to leave too many irrelevant comments on your post so am giving it here. if you REALLY want the other perspective check it out..cant hurt huh? :-)http://ronitadutta.blogspot.com/2005/08/pr.html

Ageing is pretty scary na? Anyways I am paranoid about my years. I don't know whether I would say with so much conviction that I wouldn't go for botox because I sometimes end up doing those things that I vow never to do:)

I don't know whether you read about it in the papers, but apparently in Delhi they have botox parties nowadays.

Seriously! And the obsession with reed-thinness these days, i tell u!Whatever happened to the good ol days of thinking Meena Kumari and Madhubala were the last word in ethereal beauty? Why oh why must we look like cocaine Kate! :-((*sorry, I think I just treated ur comment box as a shrink's couch*

@ab: yeah i read about those botox parties, in fact we are planning one in bangalore soon. apparantly their regular customers are very excited about it!!

@arka: trust me dear facials pedicures etc are NOTHING when compared to the stuff that people do for their looks. hence marauders map is justified in saying that she does not indulge in any of these things! by the same logic..neitehr do i :-)

@rainbeau: hello and welcome. i went to this fashion show on saturday and believe me those models give a whole new definition to the term :skin and bones"...they were soo skinny it was scary. and ur most welcome to treat this space as a shrinks couch..what do i think i started blogging for ??

Hmmm did you know the the compositions of the botox injection is actually made out of deadly neuro toxic venoms found in one of the deadliest species of jelly fish? The composition actually paralyses the nerves and tissues around the area where it is injected and stops from further development thereby preventing wrinkles. And ofcourse after the effect wears out one has to take it again. Manifestation of man's power over nature :)